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Consider these unconfirmed as no images have surfaced yet, but according to Colt Blue on HissTank.com, two more exclusives have been mentioned (though no product images are yet available).

Laser Viper 3 Pack

BattleForce: 2000 Polar Battle Bear Snowmobile

Again, no real details on these yet, though one would imagine the Laser Vipers are based on the unreleased Concept Case renditions, while the Battle Bear might be worked up in silver to jive with the old school BattleForce: 2000 look and feel.

We’ve got boots on the ground and will get more details via the JoeCon comic as soon as they’re available!

Can it be here again already? The annual gathering of G.I. Joe fans, this year down in Orlando, Florida is here again with the 2017 International G.I. Joe Collectors Convention!

Unfortunately I will not be in attendance this year due to some poorly scheduled previous family commitments, but that won’t stop me from laying down coverage as usual. I’ve reached out to several “boots on the ground” in Florida who will be helping throw some intel our way so we can all stay informed together.

As usual, Wednesday night is Golden Ticket pick up night, which means a bunch of folks will be getting their boxed set tonight, which includes the convention comic! Typically within the convention comic will be a list of the show exclusives and those same show exclusives normally appear in the pages of the comic as well, so by the end of the evening we should at least have an idea what to expect for Convention exclusives.

This is always a very fun time as a G.I. Joe fan, and I’m upset that I won’t be in the middle of it, but I will be enjoying it vicariously through all of my good friends down there.

Buckle up, hopefully some fun stuff to come over the next several days!

I’ve had my nose buried in other projects this week and the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has unleased two more BattleForce: 2000 reveals: Dodger and Blaster.

Like they’ve been doing from the start, they seem to be sticking really close to the vintage aesthetic, and the designs are, for the most part, really solid. I am a bit concerned about the Photoshop mock up head sculpts, especially the ones with the non-removable helmets, as I fear they may suffer from Static Line syndrome.

While many folks complained about Static Line’s permanently attached helmet, I wasn’t all that distraught about that component, but more about how the attached helmet almost looked like it was a part of his head. Whoever is sculpting these heads doesn’t appear to be accommodating for the actual shape and size of the head underneath the helmet and the result is an almost “squished” look where the helmets are far too small and way too tight.

Time will tell what the actual finished product will look like, I hate to make judgments based purely on a Photoshop mock up, but that’s all we have to go on at this point.

One question I really do have though – WHERE’S BLASTER’S MASK???? Seriously that was a really awesome element to the original figure. Very disappointed that they couldn’t find some way financially to include that, choosing instead to retool exact replicas of vintage accessories. Curious choice on that one, I have to admit.

The builds for these two figures are pretty decent, though as I mentioned above I’m a little confused as to why money would be invested in retooling exactly replicas of the classic weapons when a 30 second trip to eBay will find any replacement you want for pennies on the dollar.

Regardless… we’re now a good chunk of the way through the reveals and so far I’m liking the majority of the BattleForce: 2000 stuff, but am still really questioning the choice to include 9 Battle Android Troopers. Let’s see what the rest look like.

The next exclusive for the upcoming G.I. Joe Convention boxed set has been revealed and it’s looking pretty awesome!

Maverick and Knockdown were okay, but Avalanche is pretty spectacular. Great build, great paint, and a new head sculpt. Nice! Keep checking GIJoeCon.com for the latest info, and you can see the image mirrored below.

I could have sworn I posted this a couple of days ago, but I’ll be damned if I can find it. My bad.

This week the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has revealed two more 2017 G.I. Joe Convention Exclusive figures. A couple of days ago we got our first look at the B.A.T. Squad Leader, apparently inspired by the ’91 version of the Battle Android Trooper. He’s got a newly tooled head, but is pretty much just B.A.T. v1 from the neck down. The choice is a bit curious, as one would assume that folks might want to army build this version, and as a squad leader, I figure he’s the only one of this type in the boxed set.

Which of course begs the question… what will the standard troopers look like? The 2003 repaint? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.

Along with the B.A.T. Squad Leader, today we also got a look at Knockdown, who appears to come with General Mayhem’s helmet and a newly retooled version of his crazy anti-aircraft pistol. Not sure I’d consider that a worthy investment in tooling dollars, but there you go.

Taking fan feedback into consideration, the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has put together another possible build for the Salvo to be included in Figure Subscription Service 5! Using the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Roadblock body and more accurate text for the shirt makes a TON of difference.

The figure looks 100% better. Huge thanks to the Club for taking our feedback and bringing together something that really does Salvo some justice. This is great stuff.

Please note – They still need to check on tooling availability, so this is not yet a done deal. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that all the parts are available. Check it out at GIJoeClub.com or the image below.

I loved G.I. Joe: Extreme conceptually, but the figures released in the mid 90s were not up to par with the earlier efforts. Victims of the 1990s style of toy design, with dramatic sculpted poses and super hero proportions the Extreme figures weren’t necessarily bad for what they were, they just in no way dove-tailed with what had existed in the Real American Hero leading up to that point.

Considering the Kindle Worlds project I’m currently working on, I’m ecstatic to see some movement towards further integration of SKAR into G.I. Joe mythology, and Steel Raven is a great next step after the Iron Klaw we received a few years back. My hope is that perhaps these are the first few steps towards an expanded SKAR in a convention set, maybe? Time will tell.

Regardless, this figure looks really fun, and any time we get a character that has never been in toy form before it’s something to celebrate. Check it out on GIJoeClub.com or mirrored below.

The bad news? Only one reveal left…well unless you count a revamped Salvo… can’t wait to see the next entry tomorrow!

By far my favorite Action Force subteam is Z-Force, so I’m loving the fact that the G.I. Joe Collectors Club has been focusing on that particular branch to bring us characters that were once European exclusives.

The latest member of that team comes to us in the form of Gaucho! Originally released with the Action Force Headquarters, Gaucho was a Gung Ho repaint back in the day, so it makes sense for him to be a Gung Ho repaint now as well, using the incredible 50th Anniversary Gung Ho as a base.

This figure looks like a great version of the Z-Force mechanic, and I’m excited to see how he looks with the other Z-Force operatives the Club has released previously. Check out the preview on GIJoeClub.com or the image mirrored below.

My only question at this point… what tattoo is he going to have?

EDIT – Looks like the emblem from the Mexican flag is what’s likely on his chest:

It only makes sense that within the furious whirlwind of G.I. Joe news over the past week, Pythona’s arrival would make its way in there somewhere.

Over on HissTank a G.I. Joe Collectors Club member from Florida reveals that his 2016 incentive Pythona arrived in his mailbox. Keep your eyes out, everyone! Between this, possible ComicCon reveals, and JoeCon about 10 days away, business is about to pick up!